The present invention relates to vehicles and pertains particularly to surface effect vehicles.
A considerable advantage of economy of energy can be achieved when large birds fly close to the water or ground. Birds and man made flying machines that fly in this region are said to be operating in the region of "ground effect". An airborne craft that is designed to operate in this region immediately above the water or terrain is said to be a "ground effect" vehicle or a W.I.G. (wing in ground) vehicle.
The history of man taking advantage of ground effect with conventional flying machines dates back to the period following the great war when German aviators flying the Europe-South American route with flying boats found that as much as fifty percent of their fuel could be saved if they trimmed their craft to fly just above the sea's surface. A considerable amount of work has been carried out since the end of World War II in an effort to produce a stable, purpose-built ground effect vehicle.
The traditional aircraft is designed to fly most efficiently at high speed at high altitude. It is not purpose designed to operate efficiently in the region of ground effect.
It is desirable to construct a purpose designed vehicle capable of operating far more efficiently in the region of ground effect.